Environmental Impact Statement and Regulatory Impact Review Proposed Amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Management Area Bering Sea Chum Salmon Bycatch Management

This Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Regulatory Impact Review analyzes proposed management measures to minimize chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) fishery. The purpose of this action is to minimize chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery, with a particular focus on chum salmon of Western Alaska origin, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, its National Standards, and other applicable law. The management measures being considered include limits or “caps” on the number of chum salmon that may be caught in the pollock fishery and closure of all or part of the Bering Sea to pollock fishing once the limit is reached. This document addresses the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Executive Order 12866, and other applicable Federal law.